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Informative Articles

Consumer Debt Solution - Analyzing Your Options
You have several options to reduce your consumer debt. You can take the do-it-yourself approach by consolidating debts into a low rate loan. You can also find help through companies that management payments or negotiate debt elimination. Each...

Credit Card Debt after Divorce
It is true that marriages are made in heaven. But everything falls flat on their butt once a marriage hits the rocks. Every bit of reconciliation fails and divorce seems to be the only way out. If everything - both financial and other aspects -...

Credit Card Debt Elimination
If you have a large amount of credit card debt, it may seem that there is no way out from under the financial pressure. Financial difficulties can affect other areas of your life and cause you a great deal of worry and stress. The good news is...

Credit Cards, Debt Consolidation and cellularphones
Need a credit card! Why do you need a credit card. The more obvious reason is to build up your credit history. However there are other more good resons sucha sdoing simple things such as renting a movie or ordering stuff online. If you go to: ...

Dealing with The Stress of Debt!
As the Christmas period comes to an end and the New Year begins many people suddenly find themselves faced with the Credit card bill from hell! It seemed so easy to "spend, spend, spend" when out buying all the wonderful presents for your loved...

Dealing with your Student Debt
The UK used to have an excellent 'free' education system, on the premise that education its citizens made the whole country wealthier. That has now changed, and student loans are the norm, as in the USA. This, of course, means that the majority...

Debt consolidation loans for bad credit to delay the further worsening of credit
The importance of debt consolidation loans can be best understood by people who are suffering with bad credit history. Debt consolidation loans for people with bad credit provides a manner in which they can prevent their financial condition and...

Debt Free Living - 5 Tips To Get Out Of Debt
A few times I wonder what sort of credit system moved the global economy 200 years ago. If the intention of getting into a business is meant to 'help' fulfill the needs and wants of someone, I don't see how credit card salesmen can drove more people...

Debt Reduction Solution - Play it Safe
All types of debt reduction solutions are but consolidation plans where you have to choose one and work on. When the debt is piled up, the best plan is to lower the interests and/or payments. Well, everybody knows it. But, remember to take...

Guide to debt consolidation: simple steps to consolidate debt
A Debt consolidation loan is a loan used to repay several other loans. It is a single, low cost, secured loan. A UK Debt Consolidation Loan is a low cost loan secured on your UK home. It frees up the spare capital (or equity) in your home to...

 
 
 
Eliminate Your Credit Card Debt, But How?

Can a debt consolidation loan eliminate your credit card debt? A consolidation loan might (or might not) be the key. There are several things you must consider when making the choice to consolidate debt using a debt consolidation loan.

First, is a debt consolidation loan your best choice to eliminate or substantially reduce your debt? There are other options available to you, including credit counseling and bankruptcy. Obviously bankruptcy is a last resort. You must examine several factors when making your decision on which debt reduction / elimination strategy to use. You need to get information on debt consolidation to make the correct decision.
•How much outstanding debt do you have?

•What is the interest rate of your current debt? Many credit cards have interest rates of 14% - 22%, depending upon your credit rating and payment history. Obviously, the higher your current average interest rate, the better off you will be if you consolidate your debt with a consolidation loan at a much lower rate.

•How much of your outstanding debt is unsecured? Unsecured debt has no collateral against it. Credit cards, student loans, store charge cards and medical bills are examples of unsecured debt. If you have over $7,500 in unsecured debt there a multitude of lenders that you can look at. Student loans fall into a different classification from other types of unsecured debt. In the United States, most are backed by the federal government. Usually you will have to use a secured debt consolidation loan to pay off your unsecured loans. You may also be able to refinance your secured debts, but you usually cannot consolidate secured debts.

•Do you own a home or other substantial assets to use as collateral for a debt consolidation loan? If you own a home or other real estate, how much equity do you have in it?

•What type of interest rate is available to you for a consolidation loan? The interest rate you receive on your loan is

 


affected by a multitude of factors including the prime rate. For student loans, the borrower interest rate on consolidation loans is currently calculated as the weighted average of the interest rates in effect on the loans being consolidated, rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of 1 percent. They are capped at 8.25 percent.

•How is your credit rating? Someone with a very good credit score has options open to them that those with lesser credit ratings do not.

Keep in mind that if you have more than 20% equity in your home, you are usually not required to carry private mortgage insurance (PMI). If you have reached the 20% equity stage through either paying down the principal, asset appreciation, or both, you can probably drop PMI and lower your payment. On the flip side, if you are not paying PMI and you take out a consolidation or other home equity loan, you may put yourself back under the 20% equity threshold. This would require you to get a new PMI policy. Factor this in when making your cost / benefit analysis.

If you are constantly slipping backward and your cash flow is poor, you can improve things with a debt consolidation loan. Be careful and weigh your options carefully. Take into account the tax benefits you may receive by using a home equity loan to consolidate your debt. This benefit will vary depending upon your tax rate. You can get many free quotes for debt consolidation loans. There are several places that have multiple lenders compete for your business. Talk to several lenders to see which will give you the most favorable terms. You can substantially lower your monthly payment and significantly improve your cash flow situation with a debt consolidation loan. Just make sure this is the right choice for your needs.

About the Author

Steve writes about a multitude of topics from home theater and automation to business and finance.
See his website, The Debt and Loan Consolidation Guide
for more information.